Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has listed Raleigh as the country’s second best place to live in 2008, behind only Houston. The city is “a work in progress,” Kiplinger’s says in its July issue, which will hit newsstands on June 10 and is currently online. It’s long been a good place to work, but big-city cultural amenities have been lacking.
That’s changing, Kiplinger’s says. Raleigh is increasingly becoming a more exciting place to live, and the excitement of living there is catching up with the benefits provided by the local economy. In particular, Kiplinger’s cites the renaissance of downtown as the reason why 2008 marks “the turning point” for the Capital City. The magazine gives as examples the new Raleigh Convention Center and the downtown RBC Plaza, which are both set to open this year.
Also cited are many of the factors frequently cited when a Triangle-area city makes a “best places to live” list: a relatively low cost of living, a high percentage of workers with university degrees, and strong economic growth.
On June 14th, I will once again walk with Team HPW in the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure to raise money to fight Breast Cancer. The 5KRun/Walk begins at Meredith College on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. Events begin at 7:45 depending on which event you choose to participate in. All entry fees and donations go to fight this deadly disease. Please call or email me if you’d like to walk with our team. To register online, or to make a donation if you can’t make it on June 14th, go to komentriangle.org. Hope to see you at the race - Tina
In an article in Forbes on 5/9, Raleigh was named one of the top 10 recession proof cities in the USA! ”Nationally, home prices are falling, unemployment is on the rise and the economy is expected to grow slowly–or even contract–in the first half of the year. But some cities are doing just fine.” Among the factors that were considered in development of the list were unemployment data supplied by the US Bureau of Labor and change in median home prices from fourth quarter 2006 to fourth quarter 2007. As I’ve been blogging and writing in my Newsletter, Raleigh and the entire Triangle area continue to enjoy a strong, healthy economy in the face of a gloomy national picture!
Current reports indicate that Falls Lake is 4″ above capacity. City officials say that it’s still too early to further ease water restrictions. Let me know if you have questions of the current Phase I water restrictions - Tina
I’ve had several inquiries about the Soleil Center Project so I’d thought I’d write a quick post! The Soleil Center is being built in a location formerly known as the Glentree. It will be a privately funded 100 million dollar, 47 story, 480 foot glass skyscraper located in Crabtree Valley area of Raleigh, North Carolina approximately 4 miles from the city center. It will be completed in 2009 and will hold the title of the city’s tallest building, surpassing Two Hannover Square (29 Stories, 431 feet) located in downtown Raleigh. Contained within the building will be a Westin Hotel, spa and condominiums. The largest of condos will be available at a entire floor space of 4,700 square feet.
Believe it or not, the Raleigh Mayor, Charles Meeker and the Army Corp of Engineers are disputing if higher Falls Lake Levels, like those brought on by last nights pounding rain is a good or bad thing or Falls Lake. Mayor Meeker and the Raleigh City Council have been trying to convince the Army Corp of Engineers to keep the Lake at higher levels going into the summer drought season to provide a cushion in an attempt to avoid the horrible drought conditions experienced in this area over the past year. The Corps is moving forward with a plan to release millions of gallons of water a day to reduce lake levels to no more than 6 inches above normal levels. The concern is that too much water behind Falls Dam is a flooding threat to downstream communities. Let me know what you think - Tina
Heavy rains last weekend have pulled parts of North Carolina - including parts of the Triangle- out of drought conditions for the first time in close to a year. Wake, Durham and Orange counties were experiencing moderate drought conditions prior to last weekend. A storm that dumped up to 3 inches of rain Sunday helped alleviate the drought conditions across the region. Almost 4 inches of rain were reported at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in April, which is 1.12 inches above normal. For the year, 13.87 inches of rain has been recorded at RDU, which is 0.45 inches below normal. The last time the Triangle area wasn’t in drought conditions was last June. The dry summer, 2007 accelerated drought conditions statewide, and much of North Carolina remained in an “exceptional drought,” until early this year.